1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to enhancing the pigmentation response to inducers of melanogenesis by inclusion of melanogenesis-enhancing agents in formulations applied to skin, hair, wool or fur.
2. Description of the Related Art
There have been various descriptions of the use of compounds for stimulating melanogenesis or pigmentation. U.S. Pat. No. 5,352,440 describes increasing melanin synthesis in melanocytes and increasing pigmentation by administration of certain diacylglycerol compounds. Increased pigmentation in mammalian skin via administration of certain DNA fragments is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,532,001. U.S. Pat. No. 5,554,359 is directed to increasing levels of melanin in melanocytes by administration of lysosomotropic agents. And various melanogenic diols are described in Brown et al., 1998, J. Invest. Dermatol., 110:428-427.
While certain methods and compositions for stimulating pigmentation are known, there exists a need for improvements in the art. The present invention provides improved methods and compositions for stimulating pigmentation responses in mammalian skin, hair, wool or fur.